PanAridus will join Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and its consortium partners on the $6.9 million Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) grant toward development of guayule plant-based polymers for use in tire manufacturing. 

The BRDI is a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to promote the development and analysis of feedstocks, biofuels and bio-based products.  

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. is leading the grant program with developing all tire related technology, it said. PanAridus is replacing Yulex Corp. on the grant team, assuming Yulex’s responsibilities as the primary manufacturer of the material. Additionally, PanAridus will take the lead in developing commercial processes to produce guayule natural rubber for the tire industry.

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and the consortium partners are conducting research efforts aimed at developing enhanced manufacturing processes for the production of guayule solid rubber as a biomaterial for tire applications, as well as evaluating the plant’s residual biomass for biofuel applications. The hope is to harness biopolymers extracted from the guayule as a replacement for tropical-based rubber and petroleum-based synthetics that are used in tire manufacturing. 

"We are pleased to have PanAridus join our BRDI grant team,” said Chuck Yurkovich, Cooper’s vice president of global research and development. “PanAridus brings significant expertise related to guayule seed and agronomic technology that will be extremely beneficial as the consortium continues progress toward our objectives. Their expanding capability to produce guayule based natural rubber will provide a reliable source of materials for our tire technology related programs.”